Chapter 1 (4) Return with a Limp

  The news of the special police team's mistaken capture spread quickly, and it became a joke among the police. Many versions of the story emerged, leaving the special police team speechless. They had to find an excuse and strengthen their target identification training. If they made such a mistake in real combat, it would cost lives! On that day, Peng Si Zhe was training on the field when a comrade suddenly ran over to him: "Peng Si Zhe, your phone has been ringing non-stop!"

  Peng Sizhe took the phone and saw an unfamiliar number from this city on the screen. He slid to answer, and heard his brother's voice: "Where have you been hiding?"

  "Brother!" Peng Si Zhe was slightly surprised to hear his brother's voice: "You're back in Gui Ning? Why didn't you say anything ahead of time?"

  "Hurry up and come pick me up, I'm at the train station!"

  "I... I'm in training..." This surprise caught Peng Sizhe off guard.

  "Request for leave!" Peng Sichen's words were concise and could not be refused.

  "Alright...... Oh right, brother, have you called Mom and Dad? Have you informed Jingqiu?" Peng Siche suddenly remembered this question.

  "No! Let's talk about it when we get back, you come pick me up quickly!"

  "Alright..."

  Peng Sizhe hurried to ask for leave, although the special police team has strict regulations on going out during work hours, but Liu Dajin immediately approved his request after hearing that he was going to pick up Peng Sizhen. He also instructed Peng Sizhe to bring Peng Sizhen to visit the special police team when he had time, so that they could exchange experiences as military and police personnel.

  After taking a leave, Peng Sizhe borrowed a car from Cheng Teli again. As soon as Cheng Teli heard that Peng Sizhe's old rival was back, he slapped the car key into Peng Sizhe's hand: "The car is yours for these few days! If your brother doesn't come to the police station and exchange blows with me, be careful or I'll twist your head off in the future!"

  After a lap, Peng Sizhe hastily drove out of the Special Police Team gate, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed Luo Jingjian's phone: "Jingjian, my brother is back, at the train station. I'm going to pick him up now. Otherwise... when I pass by your place, I'll come and pick you up?"

  "Your brother is back?" Luo Jingjian couldn't believe her ears! She almost screamed over the phone: "Wait for me a moment! I'll ask for leave right away!"

  "No rush, I just left the police station gate, it'll take a while to get to your place." Peng Siche felt a bit suffocated in his heart.

  "I... I need to change clothes..."

  "It's just in time, don't be anxious..."

  When they arrived at the train station, Peng Sizhe was already standing far away, wearing a green military uniform and leaning against a pillar with a look of exhaustion. There was a large military backpack under his feet. Luo Jingqian's mind went blank, and she didn't know what to say until she walked up to Peng Sizhe.

  Peng Sizhe helped his brother carry his backpack, and Peng Sixian didn't say anything either. He pulled Luo Jingqiu's hand and walked towards the parking lot.

  "Brother, why didn't you give us a heads up before coming back?"

  "Busy, just returned from military training, the unit didn't let me off." Peng Sichen's eyes gazed out of the window, his mouth uttering a few perfunctory words.

  "What do you want to eat tonight? I'll go prepare it later." asked Luo Jingjuan.

  I want to sleep for a while first, I'm tired.

  "Hey, why don't you take a nap in the car for now?" Peng Sizhe thought that his brother's words would make Luo Jingjuan unhappy, so he gave him an excuse.

  "Hmm." Peng Sichen leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. Luo Jingjian's heart ached as she gently pulled his head into her shoulder, resting it there.

  "Damn it! I'm finally back alive." Peng Sichen didn't know if he was talking in his sleep, but he mumbled a sentence and fell asleep leaning on Luo Jingqian's shoulder.

  Back home, Peng Sichen greeted his parents and then fell onto the bed, fast asleep.

  "How did this child become so exhausted?" his mother said with concern.

  Luojingju was cooking in the kitchen. Pengsiche saw that his brother had fallen asleep, so he closed the door and went to the kitchen to help.

  "Si Zhe, don't you think your brother is a bit strange?" Luo Jingjuan suddenly asked.

  "He must be tired, you know what kind of troops he's in..." Peng Sizhe didn't know how to respond either.

  "Others return home from the army with joy, but I've never seen anyone come back in such a terrible state. What has your brother been doing these past few months to end up like this?"

  "Uh...this is hard to say, what's for dinner tonight?" Peng Si Zhe changed the subject.

  Peng Sicheng slept until dinner time, and during the meal, he seemed to still be in a daze. His parents also felt that something was off. Several months ago, he had said he would be returning to work, but for several consecutive months, there had been no news at all. Suddenly, their son had returned home like this. There were no arrangements for his work or the transfer of his files, and during dinner, his father casually asked: "Sicheng, do you have any plans for your work?"

  "Never mind..."

  "You're really something, such a big thing didn't even mention it in advance, also good to let your dad go for a walk and arrange a good job."

  Peng Sichen didn't pick up his mother's words and lowered his head to eat.

  "Brother, our police force is recruiting a special batch of SWAT members this year, and retired soldiers are given priority," Peng Sizhe said.

  "Hmm." Peng Sichen casually responded with a single word.

  "Your brother is right, this major is also suitable for him, the income of a special police officer..." His father thought that Peng Sixhe's suggestion was very reliable. The special recruitment can save the link of taking the civil service examination, and it is also in line with Peng Sixhe's major. Although the income is not rich, it is completely no problem to maintain a small well-off family.

  "How much does a special police officer make in a month?" Peng Sichen asked.

  "Let's calculate by level, I'm over 4,000 a month now..." Peng Sizhe said.

  "4,000? Not even enough to buy an iPhone. Let me think about it again." Peng Sichen's words suddenly enraged his father: "Sichen, what are you talking about? This matter is settled, Sizhe, go and find out more about this special recruitment, help your brother get it done!"

  Seeing the old man get angry, Peng Sichen had to shut up. The atmosphere of the reunion dinner was gloomy. When Luo Jingjuan left, Peng Sichen didn't even send her off, and instead let Peng Sizhe see her home on his way.

  "What's wrong with your brother today?" Luo Jingjuan asked anxiously in the car.

  "My brother gets irritable when he's tired." Peng Sizhe was driving, his mind a mess. First, he said he wanted to be discharged, then several months of silence, and suddenly he appeared at the train station. Every time he came home before, he brought gifts for his parents, himself, and Luo Jingjuan, and saw his family with a smile. He had never spoken to people like this before, without a good tone. Peng Sizhe suddenly remembered what his brother said in the car: "Damn it, I'm finally back alive!" He couldn't help but wonder if his brother was forced to retire from the army because he made a big mistake.

  Thinking of this, Peng Siche felt a little uneasy. The special police team would not recruit people with stains. If it was really like that, his brother's hope of entering the special police team was very slim.

  "I don't know what your brother was thinking, insisting on joining the special forces unit back then." Luo Jingjuan sighed.

  "Every man has a heroic dream in his heart, and I am no exception." Peng Sizhe comforted Luo Jingqian.

  "You're a special police officer, no matter what you say, you're still in the city. His unit is in some mountain valley, we don't know where."

  "He's back now, isn't he? Maybe he's just not used to it after just coming back, and will be fine after a while."

  "I suddenly feel that your brother is not like his usual self, he never used to treat me like this before." Luo Jingju thought of this and her eyes turned red. In the past, every time she went to pick him up, he would excitedly hug her and say "I miss you". He didn't care that he was still wearing his military uniform, and the station was crowded with people coming and going. But today, until now, the two of them had only exchanged no more than 20 sentences, mostly just a few words of perfunctory small talk.

  He went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to report, transferred his file, and received his demobilization fee. These things were quickly settled, and a retired soldier was like an unemployed person. Most retired soldiers had been busy with work issues at home before their retirement, but after Peng Sichen received his demobilization fee, he never mentioned anything about work. Instead, he rented an off-road vehicle for over 400 yuan every day, drove out without knowing where to go, and sometimes told Luo Jingjuan that he was driving when she looked for him, or he would be in some remote wilderness that Luo Jingjuan had never heard of.

  Brother's abnormality made Peng Siche even more uneasy, and through the public security system, he checked his brother's file. There was no stain in the file, which made Peng Siche breathe a sigh of relief. Peng Siche felt it necessary to have a good talk with his brother.

  Found a holiday, Peng Sizhe invited Luo Jingju and his brother to book lunch at the restaurant. Peng Sizhen said he would arrive later, but it wasn't until after 2 pm that Peng Sizhen arrived. As soon as he saw the decoration of this restaurant, he frowned: "Let's go! I'll take you to another place."

  Peng Sixian brought the two to the Xianglong Club, a high-end club that shocked Luo Jingju and Peng Sizhe. Peng Sixian ignored their shock and directly led them into a private room.

  The luxurious private room made Peng Sizhe feel like he was sitting on pins and needles. The Xianglong Club had a certain reputation in the city, it was said to be opened by a Hong Kong businessman, only receiving members, and it was said that becoming a member cost 2 million, without assets of at least 30 million, one wouldn't dare enter the club's doors. A soldier who had just retired from the army, how could he possibly have such consumption ability?

  "Think carefully, this place is too expensive, let's change to another place." Luo Jingjuan said anxiously.

  Peng Sichen didn't say a word, opened a bottle of Maotai: "Isn't money meant to be spent?"

  "We can't afford to spend money like this either, Sichen. Let's change places." Luo Jingjuan stared at Peng Sichen in shock, as if she didn't recognize him.

  As they were speaking, the door of the private room opened, and a sentence in Cantonese Mandarin that made everyone feel strange poured into their ears: "Sicheng old brother, it's you, I thought it was some noble guest."

  "Let me introduce you, this is the boss of the club, Mr. Lang, and this is my brother, who's in the special police force, and this is my girlfriend."

  "Ah yo! Special police! Nice to meet you, nice to meet you! I'm telling the truth! You two brothers are great, Xi Cheng younger brother, your girlfriend is very pretty!"

  Mr. Lang's face was flushed, but he didn't look as majestic as she had imagined. If it weren't for his excessive enthusiasm and strange tone of voice, Mr. Lang would have been considered a handsome man. Luo Jingqiu politely shook hands with him and sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

  "Come on, little brother, don't be shy! Fill it up!" Mr. Lang enthusiastically poured wine for Peng Sizhe, but Peng Sizhe waved his hand: "I don't drink."

  "What's the logic of a police officer not drinking? You're a special cop, which means you're especially good at drinking... Are you looking down on me because this wine is too low-end?"

  Peng Sizhe didn't know what to say, as Mr. Lang's toast was neither here nor there.

  "Let you drink then drink." Peng Sichen said.

  "He still has to drive later and return to the team at night, I'll drink it." Luo Jingjuan took over the wine.

  "Indeed a heroine among women! Si Cheng, little brother, what does your girlfriend do?"

  "Teacher."

  "Teacher is great, haha... In the future, kids don't need to ask for tutoring, I'll tell you..." Boss Lang had a few cups of wine and started talking non-stop. Peng Siche turned his head to the side in annoyance, looking out the window, while Luo Jingju could only sit there awkwardly.

  The wine cups and chopsticks were crossed, not long after, Lang Lao Ban and Peng Si Cheng were already dizzy and hot in the ears. Peng Si Zhe looked at his watch and reminded: "Brother, I have to return to my team."

  "Uh, you go back first, help me send Jingzhen back, I'll chat with Boss Lang for a bit." Peng Sichen, who was already slightly drunk, tossed the car keys to Peng Sixian and continued drinking with Boss Lang.

  Lu Jingjian got angry and stood up to leave, carrying her bag. Peng Siche saw that his brother didn't intend to chase after her, so he picked up the keys and chased after her instead.

  "Hey! That's a bit too much!" Lao Boss Lang said, his eyes clearing up from their earlier drunken haze, and his Cantonese accent disappearing without a trace.

  "What should we do then?" Peng Sichen shrugged self-deprecatingly: "How's the arrangement over there?"

  "This can't be rushed, we have to wait for the right opportunity."

  "Alright, keep me posted if there's any news."

  "Don't worry about this, you take care of your family."

  Peng Sichen didn't say a word, but the phrase "take care of your family" was so casually mentioned, yet how could he possibly take care of them?